123... ABC

Oh, and D.

With everything that's been going on we neglected to post about Ellie counting. For probably two weeks now, she gets to three (most of the time) all by herself. However, what's really new is her alphabetical skills. I picked her up from Nanny daycare today, and seemingly out of nowhere she is repeatedly saying to me "A...B...C...D." The thing is I don't think I totally realized it until we got home and she did it in front of EM. The look on EM's face made me more fully aware of what was happening. Our little girl is growing up so fast and learning so much. (And she's seems to have effortlessly adjusted to Nanny daycare.) It's all pretty cool.

-ED

Toys in the attic (and the basement)

Prior to Christmas, EM and I were amazed by the amount of toys that Ellie has. Now that Christmas is over, we are speechless. This girl has more toys than anyone has a right to. Some of the bigger hits: anything Dora-related, anything Elmo-related, her stroller for her babies and her grocery cart. Thanks to everyone who added to the madness that is our daughter's toy collection!

Merry Christmas

Hugs and Kisses to All!
Love- Ellie, EM, and ED

PS- We finally got our computer back.
We will give a more detailed update of Ellie's Christmas adventures tomorrow.
Now off to bed to recover from chasing an 18 month old all day.

Update

Here's a brief glimpse of what's been going on:

1. Still no computer. I'm typing this on Nanny and Pa's computer (thanks).
2. Took Ellie to surprise EM at work on her birthday, Friday. Ellie was wonderfully behaved. She even sat at the grown-up table, as I fed her, while EM was treated to lunch by her co-workers.
3. We went to my sister's house last night for a Christmas party. Ellie was lavished with gifts and she thoroughly enjoyed Sheena, the dog.
4. We got the news, yesterday, that daddy daycare will officially come to an end immediately. Nanny gets Ellie tomorrow so that I can do some preliminary work, and EM is off the rest of the week. After that my new adventure begins in earnest as I open my own business. Scary.

-ED

Computer problems...

...are preventing me from posting more. Sorry. I'll do better when, and if, we get up and running.

-ED

Daycare

Still no details to offer up, but this will no doubt be the last full week of daddy daycare. EM has some days off next week, and at least one the following week. So this is it. Kind of sad, but kind of ready.

-ED

Parade

If all goes well today, we will be taking in Ellie's first Christmas Parade. More info to follow....

-ED

UPDATE: The parade started at 3pm. It is now 3:20 and Ellie is still asleep. No parade for us. That makes us 0-for-2 on holiday themed events as we were rained out last week on the day we planned to attend the Festival of Lights.

UPDATE 2: We attended the Festival of Lights on Tuesday night with Nanny and PaPa. It's hard to say whether she enjoyed it or not as she was too busy fidgeting, etc. Oh well. We tried. It'll be better next year.

My cutie

I guess in honor of a fast approaching Christmas, here are of few of My Favorite Things:

-Ellie's really cute words - please = "peas"; spoon = "poon"; and, Dora (her favorite character as of now) = "Doe-wuh." Also, her very simple sentences - "Hi Mama," "Hug Dada," and "Hand peas."

-Her insistence that every dog is "Bubba" (our nickname for Q), and that most every color is "green." In fact, we get into some heated debates on colors:

• Me - "What color is that?"
• Ellie - "Green."
• Me - "No, honey, that is pink."
• Ellie - "Green."
• Me - "Pink."
• Ellie - "Green!"

-Ellie's need for hugs during mealtime. There is virtually no other time of the day that she asks for hugs. However, about every third or fourth meal she will, several times during the meal, stop and ask for hugs.

-And her apparent need to, from time-to-time, take her crayons one-by-one and place them under herself so that ultimately she is sitting on all of her crayons and has none to color with.

-ED

Clean

Earlier this year, I tried to make light of the fact that Ellie didn't like us cleaning her. Well, as with seemingly everything relating to growing up, this too was a phase. Her new phase is to tell, and in some instances beg, us when she is ready to be cleaned. It's kind of funny. For example, when she's done eating, or just unhappy about the amount of food on her hands, she'll hold out her hand(s) and say, "clean."

-ED

Addition: Over the weekend Ellie and I went shopping. She held onto a Dora the Explorer (her new favorite character) coloring book while we were in AC Moore. She opened to a page where Dora's face was dirty from eating something. She became very upset. She wiped and wiped at her face crying "clean, clean, clean." I finally had to turn the page to make her feel better.
-EM

Conversation

For the last couple of days, Ellie and I have had the same "conversation" several times per day:

Ellie: MaMa?
Me: She's at work.
Ellie: PaPa(Grandpa)?
Me: He's at work.
Ellie: NaNa(Nanny)?
Me: She's at her house.

I guess she's just warming me up for the "why" phase.

-ED

Looking back

Nearly a year ago, I made this brief post. There was no need then, and there is no need now, to go into the details. Suffice it to say, the events leading up to that post left me with the very uneasy feeling that daddy daycare would come to an end under terms not of my choosing.

Well, in the last few weeks that feeling has been confirmed and I can now state with certainty that daddy daycare will be coming to a premature end. An exact end date for daddy daycare is not yet known, although it will almost certainly end in the next four weeks.

Everything is, and will be, OK; and, of course, the blog will go on. Still EM and I are very disappointed by the turn of events. Mostly we are sad for our next child (whenever he or she comes along). As for Ellie, I think more and more we have accepted, and come to believe, that the change - in whatever form it takes - will be good for her and her development.

Sorry if this is a bit cryptic, but it has to be... at least for now. Wish us well.

-ED

Bad to worse

So EM basically came home and went straight to bed. Thankfully, Nanny (almost fully recovered from her own illness) was able to come and help out. I can't wait for this... whatever it is... to be done with.

-ED

UPDATE: It's now Saturday night, the 29th, and we are all - finally - feeling better. Not 100%, but good enough.

I'm sure you all saw this coming...

...now EM and I are sick. That's right, just as the little one is starting to feel better we are now feeling worse. This coincides nicely (not) with Ellie's newest phase: asking for our hand and taking (dragging) us where she wants to go. Yes, that's exactly what I want to do when I feel like poop... go on one hundred meaningless treks... sniff... around the house at the insistence of... sniff... my little girl or... sniff... face a temper tantrum if I fail to comply.

-ED

Ellie-assisted Wolfpack 2, Lowly Tarheels 0

My much loved NC State Wolfpack football team vanquished the over-hyped Tarheels, 41-10, and in the process claimed the mythical State Championship by going undefeated against in-state competition (ECU, Duke, Wake and UNC). And, just like last year, Ellie was there to help me cheer. She managed to do this even though she still isn't feeling well.

The picture that follows was taken when she was feeling much better and it was much nicer out, but I've been hanging on to it for just this purpose.

We're the red and white from State,
and we know we are the best.
Hands behind our back,
we can take on all the rest.
GO TO HELL Carolina!
Devils and Deacs stand in line.
The red and white from NC State.
Go State!

-ED

Snow

If we got snow last season, and I don't think we did, Ellie didn't notice. Today, we got our first snow of the season even if it was just a trace. Ellie, of course, is now old enough to notice such things. However, given her current condition, she wasn't that impressed (or maybe she just wasn't impressed by a dusting of snow). It's just as well that she didn't notice (or care) since we don't have snow gear for the little one.

-ED

PS - It's not too common around here that we would go from fall frolicking (posted 11/17) to snow (posted 11/21) in the span of four days. So, just to be clear, this further confirms the slack nature of my posting for the first half of November.

It was bound to happen

Ellie is sick. For the first time in 17+ months, I can truly say this. Sure, she had a mild reaction to an immunization and she had a severe diaper rash brought on by a protracted case of diarrhea. However, other than those two relatively minor episodes, she has been a remarkably healthy baby up until now.

So what ails our little one? Well, we got our first suspicions that all was not well with Ellie last night as she slept. She was snoring loudly which is unlike her and she coughed once or twice in a very congested manner. Then, today, everything became clear as I heard more coughing paired with some labored breathing, felt a slight fever, wiped her nose countless times and accommodated, as best I could, her high degree of clingy-ness.

I'm really proud and impressed that she's gone this long without getting sick. I attribute this mostly to EM's efforts as well as the isolated nature of daddy daycare. But now that the streak has ended, all we can do is hope and pray for the best. It really does suck though to see your little one not doing so well and know that there's not much that can be done, beyond offering as much comfort as possible to the little angel with the limited vocabulary (I mean, really, it would be nice if she could tell us exactly what is bothering her and how we could help), since these things just have to run their course.

Hang in there baby girl. We love you!

-ED

Fall

We live at the end of a heavily wooded street. As I like to say, we bought our current home because EM liked the house and I liked the lot. However, it is around this time of the year that I become not so fond of our lot due to all the leaves that I must tend to.

In any event, we (really, mostly me) have had some good opportunities here recently to gather leaves and this has allowed us to introduce Ellie to some of fall's simple pleasures - listening to the leaves crunch under your feet, jumping into piles of leaves, and delighting in the palette of colors mother nature provides this time of year, just to name a few.

-ED

I'm back!

OK. So I never actually left. But I do find it a bit hard to believe that this is my first post in two weeks. There's been a couple of times I came close to making posts over that time, but then life got in the way. I'm sure you all know how that goes. In any event, I plan to do a better job of posting now (at least for the next few weeks... a topic for yet another post).

With that said, Ellie and I made our first trek to the local children's museum. This is definitely a place to enjoy with kids of all ages, and I'm sure we will return. Ellie participated in, among other things, shopping, arts/crafts, dressing up and story time.

A few notes of caution: there was a school group there and I overheard a staff member say that Fridays are the most common days for such outings; there are only a couple of vending machines on site, so plan (and pack) accordingly if you think you might be there longer than say two hours; and, the admission isn't cheap, at $7 per person over the age of one, for a couple of hours of entertainment (we had a buy one get one free coupon, so it wasn't a big deal). Then again, when you stack it up against a movie, for example, it's probably a relative bargain and it's more mind-expanding, too. Anyhow, it was a good way to kill time on an otherwise dreary day.

-ED

727 days . . .

. . . Ellie and I have been attached in one way or another. She was in utero 253 days. Then it became an attachment to feed my baby, to help her grow and thrive, 16 months and 17 days to be exact. At first it was hard. Probably the hardest thing I have ever done. I was sore for months. It was not comfortable for her to latch on until maybe when she was about 3-4 months old. But we made it through. After awhile it did become enjoyable to have that time to hold, feed, and comfort my baby.

I fed Ellie every other hour at first. Slowly it turned into every 3-4 hours. By eight weeks she was sleeping 6-8 hour stretches at night. I returned to work when Ellie was 11 weeks old. I fed her in the a.m., pumped twice at work, and fed her 2-3 times after work. As she was turning 7-8 months she started dropping feedings. By one year I was just feeding her in the morning before work and then in the evening before bed. Over the summer she dropped the morning feeding and started to sleep later. And now in the past few days she dropped the last feeding, the best feeding of them all, the one right before bed.

The amazing thing is that none of this weaning has been difficult. Ellie and I just knew when it was time. Over the past few weeks she has been very insistent that she needed milk from mommy. After bath time we would move to our bedroom, play, and watch tv. If I sat in the milk chair she would have a fit. "Milk, milk, milk." Her last feeding was Tuesday night. She asked for milk. She couldn't focus though. She wanted to talk to Daddy. Since then I haven't sat in the milk chair and she hasn't asked for it. So as far as I can say now, breastfeeding is over.

I am so happy that we made it this far, but I am sad to see it go. I will miss having that time with Ellie to hold her, to cuddle with her with her focus on me. I will miss her falling asleep while feeding... so content. We will just have to find other ways and times to cuddle and love each other.

I love you Ellie Rose. You are growing up so fast. This sure is a sign that you are not a baby anymore.

Love, Mama

Ohhhhhh Ohhhhhh

Ellie and ED frequently read The Very Hungry Caterpillar. When they get to the part where the caterpillar has a stomachache from eating a large amount of food, Ellie and ED moan and groan together. Well Ellie might not be moaning for real, but she has had stomach troubles since Friday. Needless to say any parent who has to change 5-7 dirty diapers every day for six days will tell you they are ready for a well baby. You wouldn't know anything was wrong by Ellie's demeanor. She has been in good spirits. Over the weekend she had a horrible diaper rash, but even that only made her fuss during diaper changes. Thanks to treatment with lotrimin the diaper rash is gone. Now if we could only figure out what is causing the poops we'd be set.


-EM

Halloween meltdown

We were going to take Ellie to a couple of houses for trick-or-treating, and then let her stay up with us a little bit while we handed out candy. However, before doing this we wanted to take some pictures of her in her costume. Well, that didn't happen. I think Ellie was a little hungry and, therefore, she became quite fussy when we tried to complete her outfit. Long story short, we have no pics worth sharing. Sorry.

-ED

Update: Ellie ate a little and we were much happier. We didn't go trick or treating, but Ellie did the next best thing- play with candy. She was impartial to the doorbell ringing, but she said "Bye" to each and everyone of them as I shut the door.

This was the best costume picture we could get- she's a ladybug.

Ellie was very content playing with candy. Is it wrong to pick candy up off the floor to give to the trick or treaters?

-EM

Unphased

We took Ellie to get her flu shot the other day. EM held Ellie as the nurse administered the shot. While this was going on I distracted Ellie with one of her favorite stuffed animals, Duke. The whole thing, amazingly enough, went off without a hitch; I mean, not even a whimper. We were quite impressed with our little one, the nurse and ourselves.

-ED

Hugs and... kiwi?

Ellie is really starting to display more affection. She kisses her toys. She hugs her toys. She has her toys kiss one another. She has her toys hug one another. Although, she doesn't kiss us nearly as much as she kisses her toys and her toys kiss each other. However, she does hug us as much, if not more than, her toys. In fact, her latest thing is to ask for hugs while she's eating.

Now I won't complain one bit about hugging, or being hugged by, my daughter; and, the more hugs the better. It's just that in this phase some hugs are easier to handle than others. For example, if I'm feeding her yogurt and she wants a hug... great! It's when she feeds herself... spaghetti, blueberries, and so on... that's when things get a little iffy. Let's just say that with each passing day we are getting more and more practice on removing stains.

-ED

Let's talk

Ellie has been talking more and more these days. Most of it is gibberish (at least to us); however, some of it we can actually understand. It seems as though for the last week or so, her favorite words, at least the ones we understand, have been "help", "book", "open", "up", "hug" and "hat":




-ED

Obsession

Ellie is obsessed with her belly button. I suppose every child has gone through this phase to one degree or another. However, Ellie has gotten so bad about it that we are putting onesies on her (even though they aren't our favorite article of clothing) in an effort to block her access thereto. She even got noticeably agitated with me yesterday when, after changing her diaper, I snapped her onesie shut thereby putting an end to her belly-button-probing-fun.

-ED

Defiance

Ellie has known how to say "no" for a while now. She has also begun to exercise a bit more independence from time-to-time. However, until today she has never combined the two; at least not with me. That's all over now.

After spending the morning at the Tanglewood Heart and Stroke Walk, we came home in desperate need of thawing out. In doing so, I wanted Ellie to wear some thicker socks. So with socks in hand, I said several times "Ellie come here so we can put your socks on." I think after the third time I said it, she looked me straight in the eyes and said "no."

Huh? You're telling me no?! You, the light of my life, my darling little girl, told me no. What the frick?! I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Seriously, I had to think for a minute about what to do.

Once I recovered, I quietly walked over to her, grabbed her arm and walked her over to where I wanted her so that I could put her socks on. She resisted a little. She fussed a little. But, in the end, the socks went on her feet and order was restored.

-ED

Thought for the day:

The Fair

For months now, Ellie has been working on her animal noises - introduced to her through various books and toys - and she is quite good at many of them. So, naturally, we've been looking forward to her seeing some of the animals that she has not yet seen in person. Our wait was rewarded as Nanny and Grandpa joined EM and I in taking Ellie to the Dixie Classic Fair on Tuesday.









The weather was nice, and as we entered the fairgrounds we headed straight to the livestock displays. Ellie saw - and recognized - chickens, sheep, goats, and horses, among others. She got all her noises correct, and laughed and laughed as she watched the rabbits in particular. It was so wonderful to see all of these animals through her eyes and to witness her make the connection between what we've talked about at home and what she saw at the fair.









Of course, no trip to the fair is complete without taking in the food which we did. We saw AK there, too. All in all, this was a nice and relatively inexpensive (thanks AK) way to spend the evening. However, I couldn't help but think as I watched the other families mill around... it's gonna get much more expensive for us in the years to follow. Sigh.









-ED

P.S. - Thanks for the pics, Grandpa.

Chance Encounter

Ellie and I were at the library today for storytime. Today's theme was firefighters since today is the beginning of fire prevention week - a fact that had escaped me. The local chief handed out badges and helmets and coloring books - we picked a great day to go as far as entertainment goes. The event was well attended and a photographer was onhand to capture some of the moments. Well, the photographer just happened to also be at the music under the stars event we attended in August. She instantly recognized Ellie and approached me to introduce herself and tell us about how she got some great pictures of Ellie that night. She posted the pics on her website, so you can judge for yourself.

-ED

All signs point to...

...October. There's a chill in the air, and the fair starts today. We'll be there next week and we can't wait to see Ellie react to all the animals.

Also, Ellie has really enjoyed being scared as of late. That is, we'll hide around a corner and jump out to surprise/scare her and she just laughs and laughs. She's starting to do it to us, too, and it's sooo cute. This, of course, coincides nicely with the fast approaching Halloween (or should I say Shalloween).

Finally, EM bought some Ellie-sized pumpkins the other day and Ellie adores them:

-ED

P.S. - This time of year also includes a celebration of AK's birthday; or, as we like to call it, K-tober. Happy Bday!!!

Check-up

While I was in Chapel Hill, Nanny and EM took Ellie in for her fifteen month check-up with Dr. Betsy. Ellie did well, although I guess some squirming on her part made it difficult to get precise measurements. With that said, she's somewhere around 22lb and 31in (the 40th and 90th percentiles, respectively) - tall and thin.

EM told Dr. Betsy about how Ellie has been inconsistent (at best) about her milk drinking, but that we have compensated with cheese and yogurt. No sooner does EM reveal this then Ellie becomes a milk-chugging-machine. All EM and I could think to do this weekend was shrug and laugh.

-ED

Change of pace

Work took me to Hickory (yesterday) and Chapel Hill (today and tomorrow; I could have stayed over but then I wouldn't get to see my girls), so daddy daycare had to fully suspend operations for the first time since opening. I dropped Ellie off with Nanny on my way to Hickory on Tuesday. EM stayed home today to care for our little darling. And tomorrow Nanny will watch Ellie here.

I miss my girl. It's hard, after being home with her for more than a year, to spend three days mostly without her. But she seems to have handled it all pretty well (so far) and, ultimately, I think this has been good for all involved.

-ED

P.S. - Following up on the last post, our technical issues have been resolved as evidenced by the blog banner being updated (and, of course, this post).

P.P.S. - Thanks Nanny!

Technical difficulties...

...will prevent me from updating the blog banner with new photos today. Once the problem is resolved, I'll have new photos for all to enjoy.

-ED

That can't be our baby!

EM and I caught ourselves marveling this weekend at how Ellie is growing - it's just mind-boggling to think about her development over the last 14+ months. So as we near the date that marks her 15 months of life, take a look back at our little girl from this time last year.

-ED

Strange bedfellows

More often than not, Ellie sleeps by herself. However, every once in a while - and with more frequency as of late - she'll latch on to something right before bedtime and end up sleeping with it. Some of those items have included: Mr. Boogs, an article of clothing, a stuffed animal, a small tote bag, one of her Little People, and - most recently - a book: Pat the Bunny.

-ED

The Pick

So AK comes over for dinner and we're trying to get Ellie to show her some of her new tricks, words, etc. Ellie shyly complies only once or twice before... picking her nose for the first time that we're aware of. Yeah! New trick. I guess if she was gonna do it, better she do it for AK than just about anyone else.

-ED

Public Library 1, Kindermusik 0

Today, Ellie and I participated in a free demonstration of Kindermusik. It seemed OK, and I heard no objections from Ellie. However, it wasn't drastically different from the "Book Babies" program we've participated in at the library - and the library is free (moreover, you aren't dismissed from the library when the program is over).

-ED

Playing Outside

Yesterday temps were a little cooler than they have been.



Ellie and Daddy spent a good bit of time outside.

As you can see Ellie loved it.



In fact, she didn't even notice the scuffed up knees.

Happy Anniversary!

Daddy daycare opened up one year ago! It's hard to believe we've been doing this for a year. A great deal has happened in that time - mostly related to her development, but almost certainly including some on my part. All I can think to say is whew - I haven't damaged her (at least not physically) and I'm still in one piece, too. As such, I think we each deserve a pat on the back.

-ED

No cookouts for us...

...on this Labor Day. Nope. Nothing but hunkering down and doing our best to console an ill little girl. I'm not sure if it's a cold or teething or allergies, but she's clearly not well.

-ED

Odds and ends

Back on Ellie's birthday, we created a list of some of her "accomplishments." It is in that spirit that we present some of what's been going on that, for whatever reason, we've neglected to post about until now:

• Ellie performs magic in the tub. Ask her where her hand is and she hides it in a cup, pauses dramatically and then pulls it out to proudly display it. And, by the way, she now enjoys taking baths.
• She is giving more hugs and kisses.
• Ellie is following more commands; for example, "sit in your chair" (she walks to, and stands by, her highchair when it's time to eat) and "let's change your diaper" (as long as we're in the house, she'll walk to the changing table in her room).
• She stomps her feet when asked and dances.
• Ellie once loved wearing shoes. Now she just about pitches a fit when we put them on her. We can distract her a bit and she'll walk around in the shoes like everything is just fine; but, once she has more time to reflect on it, she again expresses her displeasure with the shoes.
• Two big falls have resulted in a busted lip (the blood was really gushing on this one with a frantic phone call to mom at work) and a very bruised cheek, respectively. Poor baby, but I'm sure there will be more to come.
• Ellie has "mastered" the following animal noises - elephant, monkey, cow, kitty cat, doggie, sheep, horse, chicken, duck and pig.
• When asked what a dog does when hot, she responds by panting.
• Ellie says bubba (another name we have for Q, her white doggie), nanny, pa, mama, dada and nanner (banana).
• She's become a very good sleeper.
• Ellie is no longer drinking from a bottle even though she still hasn't mastered the sippy-cup. For some reason unbeknownst to us, she apparently enjoys letting her drink dribble from her mouth resulting in many wet shirts and puddles on the floor.
• When asked how old she is, Ellie raises her index finger.

And I'm sure there are others we're forgetting, but you get the idea - she's coming along just fine!

It's not a spork

I'm not going into the details. I don't have a photo to document what happened. I just want to share with you all the fact that Ellie decided to use a crayon as a utensil at dinner tonight... and she succeeded at so doing.

-ED

Tot Spot

Today, Ellie and I attended the meetup at the mall (caution: website plays music). There they have what has been referred to as the "tot spot" - a fenced in area with seating for parents, a very well padded floor and some child-friendly activities. It started off quite well with a small group; but, as time passed the group grew and I felt it was too crowded. Ellie didn't appear to mind at all and, in fact, seemed to really enjoy herself. As such, I'm sure we'll return.

-ED

No more dining out...

...at least for a while.

AK treated us, me specifically, to a belated birthday dinner (thank you, AK). When discussing where to go, my first suggestion was take out. EM and AK sort of balked at this notion (and I understand why), so I gave in even though I knew what was coming.

You see Ellie is, and has been, in a loud-kind-of-whiney phase. I've especially noticed this the last several times we've eaten out as that is when it becomes most painfully obvious. And I'm certain it is just a phase, as is the case with most baby-related things as I have come to find out over the past year. And I still love my baby girl madly, and I am so proud to be her father. However, that doesn't make this phase any more tolerable especially for those who are subjected to Ellie's outbursts.

After dinner tonight, EM commented that she couldn't enjoy herself or her food (a sentiment I share; sorry, AK); and, after all, what's the point of going out if you're not going to enjoy it? Anyhow, I'm sure we will eventually be able to dine in public again. Sometime. Not just now.

-ED

Big Band

Just like last year, we attended the free concert in town today. This year we were joined by Nanny and Grandpa's longtime friends - Sam and Deirdre from Lynchburg, VA. Ellie danced a little bit, the weather was nice for August and, once again, fun was had by all.

-ED

Loud

We spent last night in Nanny and Grandpa's hometown - Salisbury. We enjoyed dinner - minus Ellie's very loud demands - at an Italian restaurant. We strolled the streets while listening to the loud music playing courtesy of the night's sponsored event. And we stopped by our absolute favorite toy store, and bought Ellie this:

The product description reads as follows: "Everything needed for a solo performance or to form a marching band. This musical set includes a tambourine, cymbals, maracas, clacker, tone blocks and a triangle! Ideal for involving preschoolers in the musical experience." We tried it out... and, guess what, it's loud.

-ED

P.S. - If only we had known Esbee's plans, we could have invited her and the boys to join us!

Lunch

Yesterday, Ellie and I drove out to the Farmers' Market. There we met Grammy, Aunt Laurie (in from Texas) and my nephew. Ellie was understandably shy - I can't remember the last time she saw my sister and her son; but, she was well behaved and all went well.

-ED

She learns so fast

Ellie watched today as we gave the dogs a much needed bath.



A few hours later she was giving Spunky a bath herself.

As a side note: Ellie has a new friend, Woody. In fact, for the first time she has taken a stuffed toy to bed with her. We think a new friendship has started. The interesting thing is that she has never seen Toy Story. We will be getting the DVD soon.

-EM

Nothing new...

...to report. I'm working this weekend and so that means sleeping in late. Nanny, EM and Ellie are at the pool. This will be followed by a little shopping. By the time they get home, I'll almost certainly be suffering from heat exhaustion as I mow. All told, I will probably see very little of my angel today; however, Grandpa is off tomorrow so I fully expect the four of us will spend some time together fawning over Ellie - as it should be.

-ED

Walking!!!

Ellie took her first steps at the end of May. A few weeks after that she was taking more steps. And so on and so forth. But, at none of those times could we confidently say she was walking. It was more like she was cruising.

Well, after this weekend, I can now confidently proclaim she is walking! In fact, some of the moms at the library today even took note of how Ellie had really blossomed as a walker since they last saw her.

-ED

P.S. - Good job, Ellie! Mommy and Daddy love you and we are very proud of you!

Ellie and the sweet potato

So I realize I have no basis for comparison when I say this, but I think our darling, little Ellie has some odd attachment issue(s). For your consideration, I submit Exhibit A: Mr. Boogs, and Exhibit B: a sweet potato:

We visited with Nanny and Grandpa last night. And, as we prepared for dinner, Ellie managed to get a sweet potato out of the pantry. What followed was, as these pictures document, a new friendship.

All I can think to ask at this point: is this normal? Or, should I begin putting money aside for a psychiatrist?

-ED

Education

Up until last week, daddy daycare has been very unstructured; and, I guess it still is. However, over the last few weeks, it has become clear to me that Ellie is taking in more and more information as evidenced by her ever increasing vocabulary. As such, I have decided to get a little more disciplined in teaching Ellie things during our time together.

Thus far, what I've envisioned are days with themes: Mondays are number days, Tuesdays are alphabet days, etc. It's nothing intense or overly involved. I'm just trying to make sure that each day we spend some amount of time, no matter how little, working on some basic concepts.

I've yet to research the matter, so there's nothing about this little endeavor that is based in educational theory and the like. It's just my low brow approach to being more assertive in the development of my baby girl. Anyhow, my question for you parents and/or educators is what should I be doing to help expand her mind?

-ED

A change in policy

Today Ellie is 13 months old. In the past, I have offered a pictorial salute in recognition of her progression. However, I decided some time ago that I wouldn't sustain this and resolved to end the practice at 12 months. What I will do instead, from time to time, is update the blog banner with more current photos. Thanks for your continued interest in our baby girl.

-ED

A day in the life

I thought it would be good to offer a generalized glimpse of what Ellie's average day is like (including a very brief peek at my schedule and EM's). I actually intended to do this around the time of her birthday, but with everything else that was going on at the time I guess it just slipped my mind. Anyhow, here's an average day for Ellie (and us) as she approaches 13 months of age:

• 4:30am - EM's alarm goes off and/or the dogs wake her up
• 4:30-5:30am - EM gets ready for work
• 5:30am - Ellie wakes up (sometime on her own, sometimes with prodding from EM)
• 5:30-6:00am - EM nurses Ellie
• 6:00am - I get home (if it's a workday, otherwise EM wakes me up)
• 6:30am - EM leaves for work; Ellie and I sit down for an episode of Jack's Big Music Show
• 7-7:30am - Ellie plays mostly by herself as I try to catch up on the news
• 7:30-8am - breakfast (usually bananas and cereal)
• 8-8:30am - we pass the time (playing, reading and/or watching tv) in anticipation of her nap (and mine if I worked that night)
• 8:30am - nap time
• 10:00am - Ellie wakes up
• 10-10:30am - playtime and/or a walk
• 10:30-11am - snack time (usually milk and a few goldfish or animal cookies)
• 11am-noon - playtime
• noon-12:30pm - lunch (usually two fruits, a carb and something else)
• 12:30-1:30pm - playtime
• 1:30pm - nap time
• 3-3:30pm - Ellie wakes up, followed by snack time (usually yogurt)
• 3:30pm - EM comes home, at which time I back off/take a break
• 5-5:30pm - dinner (usually a fruit, a veggie, a protein and a carb)
• 5:30-6:30pm - playtime
• 6:30-7pm - bath time
• 7-7:30pm - time to wind down and I go to bed if it's a workday
• 7:30-8pm - EM nurses Ellie
• 8pm - lights out
• 8-9:30pm - EM does her thing in preparation of the day to come, and goes to bed
• 11:00pm - I'm up
• 11:30pm - I'm off to work

I don't care who you are, that's a full day! No wonder we're always tired. Sigh. But she's so worth it!








-ED

Fun at the pool

Last week Ellie and EM tried one of the local pools - the weather wasn't so great, but EM felt if the weather was better Ellie would enjoy it. Today the weather was great, as far as pool weather goes, so off we went.

We met up with Sara and Kinsey (AK's sister and niece), and everyone had fun for the brief time we were there. Ellie spent time between the pool (in EM's arms) and the water spray playground where she was more free to frolic on her own. The playground has these little yellow spheres - we like to call them waterbugs - that shoot out a gentle spray of water and Ellie really enjoyed those. We'll definitely go back!

Ellie loves the "waterbug"

Ellie and Kinsey - AK's two favorite girls

-ED

By the way

I forgot to mention since the last post about socializing Ellie that two of the moms at the library mentioned an online source for stay-at-home parents that I was unaware of: meetup. I looked into it and signed us up shortly thereafter. Since that time, we receive emails almost everyday regarding a picnic here or a gathering there. I'm embarrassed to say I haven't really followed up on any of it (we just keep going to the library), but it's nice to know of all these options for the time when we are ready to change things up a bit.

-ED

Ellie has a tape worm.

I think. I mean she must. How else can we explain the fact that after buying a bunch of bananas, a cantaloupe and a pack of string cheese on Friday we are virtually out of said items, items that normally would have lasted nearly the whole week? Fortunately, Nanny and Grandpa were able to stop by the grocery store, on their way to visit, and help us reload.

-ED

Happy 4th!

Not much going on around here. Haven't felt like posting too much. I think I'm still suffering a bit of a hangover from the flurry of posts surrounding Ellie's birthday. Anyhow, EM and Ellie are going to a local pool tomorrow with AK and her sister, niece and nephew. So perhaps we'll have something to report after that.

-ED

Ellie is learning so fast

Ellie seems to be learning things at a lightening fast pace. It is amazing to us some of the things she comes up with. We are starting to see that she is watching our every move and imitating us. Some things she has done in the past week or so:

-says nanny (na na na) and banana (also na na na- but we can tell the difference), duck, doggy, and water

-responds to what does a duck say or what does a lion say

-when asked what does a rabbit do she sniffs and wrinkles up her nose- this is similar to smelling flowers

-eats with a fork

-walks 4-6 steps at a time alone, walks further if holding onto our hands

-responds to where's your hair and where's your toes

-give her a spoon and a pot and she will stir on command

-EM

Can you call an elephant?

Ellie can. Surprisingly, it's her first animal noise.

As I mentioned in a prior post, her favorite tv program is "Jack's Big Music Show." Sadly, I can't find a clip pertaining to the episode in question so I'll summarize for you (since I know you're anxiously waiting to know where I'm going with this):

Jack, Mary and Mel learn that Laurie Berkner will stop by the clubhouse to sing a song with them. However, in preparation for the big song, she has asked that they have three things ready upon her arrival: a bird, a sheep and an elephant. Unable to summon these animals on their own, Jack and Mary learn that Mel has created an "animal-caller-thingy." Using Mel's invention they successfully call a bird and a sheep; but, unfortunately, the elephant call is "on the fritz." That's when the Schwartzman Quartet stops by with a solution captured in a song: "...you can call for a this, you can call for a that; you can call for your cane and you can call for your hat; but you can't call an elephant, you can't call an elephant, without an elephant call...." Their musical wisdom prompts Jack, Mary, the bird and the sheep to begin making elephant calls of their own (Mel is busy trying to fix his invention with the assistance of the monkeys that responded to his broken elephant call). This, you'll be glad to know, is how Ellie learned how to make an elephant noise.

We've seen this episode countless times (as you parents know), and EM and I will usually play along for Ellie's sake, so I know she's heard these noises from us (and Jack, et al) countless times. Anyhow, Nanny was watching Ellie the other day and they were watching this particular episode of Jack when... bam... Ellie made the elephant noise (I don't believe Nanny was aware of any of what I just wrote so this was all quite unexpected). Nanny then tells EM and EM tells me, so first chance we get we quiz Ellie and sure enough... she makes the elephant call, and she has continued to do so over the last couple of days (sometimes she even throws in the arm-as-an-elephant-trunk-gesture).

It's funny. You'd think, with us having Spunky and Q, she'd bark; or, maybe, with her rubber ducky themed baths, she'd quack; but, no, our daughter chooses this. I guess, though, it is in keeping with some of her other quirks - her first favorite toy, Mr. Boogs, and habitually pooping under the table (a post for another day). She really ceases to amaze me. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

-ED

PS - For those of you interested in the outcome of Jack: The gang's attempts at an elephant call fail, but then they wonder if using a musical instrument might work instead. To that end, they try a kazoo and a whistle, without success, before they come across a trumpet. Thankfully, the trumpet works and the elephant arrives just before Laurie does. The song goes off without a hitch: "...I was walking through the park on a beautiful day; I saw a little elephant who was looking my way; now elephants can't talk but they sure can sing; that elephant had an elephanty rhythm...." The End.

Signs and Steps

Some time ago Ellie learned the sign for milk. I was very determined to teach her this. Since she was tiny I would make this gesture prior to feeding her milk. I don't remember at exactly what point it occurred, but out of the blue she started copying my gesture. Now just about every time she has milk she does this.

FYI- this video has an extra special moment in it. We caught Ellie taking a step. She is taking one to two steps at a time by herself now.




-EM

Follow up

Just following up on Ellie's birthday post from the other day... we saw Dr. Betsy today and everything is a-ok. Ellie weighs twenty pounds - even, and she is thirty inches tall. She received three shots today, and had blood taken. The crying was pretty intense, but very short lived. We're very fortunate to have such a healthy and happy baby girl.

-ED

12M

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

To my sweet baby girl-

I can't believe that a year has gone by. I think back to this day last year and am absolutely amazed at how quickly you have grown up. You have gone from a tiny baby that loved to be swaddled to to a big girl on the move. You continue to amaze us on a daily basis. Everyday you show us something new. Everyday you seem smarter and funnier. Daddy and I can't imagine life without you. We look forward to each day with you and each new adventure. We love you very much and are very proud of you. Happy 1st Birthday.

I love you,

Mommy

Note: This isn't the best picture, but it that really opened my eyes to how you are not a baby anymore.

XOXOXOXO

Happy Birthday!!!

It's very hard to believe it's been a year since our little angel entered this world; and, while this blog does a fair job of capturing some of what has transpired in that year, we wanted to take a moment to highlight some of the things Ellie is doing at this particular milestone (to be followed with an entry regarding height, weight, etc., when we see Dr. Betsy on Thursday):

• spontaneously says momma and dada
• uses sign language to ask for milk (I can't believe we haven't gotten this on video yet)
• arguably says wawa (water), doggie, baby and Jack (see next item) with some prompting
• dances/wiggles and claps her hands when her favorite tv show comes on
• responds to certain commands/questions such as "shut the door", "turn on/off the light", "where's the bus", "where's the doggies" and "how big is Ellie"
• loves to thumb through books
• crawling, cruising, standing in place and even taking a step or two
• loves to look at herself, be it in the mirror or in pictures (and will even kiss her image)
• greets mommy at the door when she comes home from work
• waves hi and bye
• gives hugs
• smells flowers
• has a low tolerance for baths even though she loves pool time and sticking her hand under running water
• loves fruit (especially blueberries and bananas)

Posted with much pride and love by Daddy (with lots of pride, love and help from Mommy)

To Daddy

I love you Daddy! You are the best Daddy in the whole wide world!
Love, Hugs, and Kisses
Boo boo

Happy Father's Day!

This father's day is decidedly less eventful than the last one. It is, however, just as enjoyable in a different kind of way.

Today we're mostly just decompressing from yesterday's party. Fun was had by all, and Ellie did really well. She received many gifts from those present and even some who weren't - thanks to you all. The attendees included: Nanny and Grandpa, Grammy and Poppy, Uncle Bill, AK, Becky and Johnathan and Payton, and Gretchen and Jason. The food, as was the company, was good and plentiful and we were even able to get most of the grilling done before the rain came.

I think Tuesday we'll have a small celebration - just the three of us - and that should be just as enjoyable as our larger gathering yesterday, but in a different kind of way.

-ED

Let her eat cake